Beverly Thompson-Travis

BEVERLY ANN THOMPSON-TRAVIS

Cedar Rapids

The Rev. Beverly Ann Thompson-Travis died March 16, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center from melanoma. She was 72 years old.

Beverly was born Aug. 2, 1943, to Earl Hicks Travis and LaVina Mae (Thompson) Travis in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After graduating from Washington High School, she attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees (1967). Her master's degree in higher education focused on student personnel administration. Beverly served as residence hall director at the University of Northern Iowa and Michigan State University. She worked for several years at Stephens College, Columbia, Mo., in a variety of roles relating to student life, ending as dean of student affairs.

Beverly felt a strong call to ministry at an early age, a time when few denominations ordained women. When ordination became a possibility, she enrolled in Yale Divinity School and Berkeley School of Divinity at Yale. She received her Master of Divinity degree in 1980. She was ordained in 1983 at Riverside United Church of Christ in New York City. Beverly did her clinical pastoral education at Bellevue and Columbia Presbyterian hospitals in New York City.

Beverly began her work as the executive associate for programming for the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia in New York City. She was responsible for all the Asian Women's Colleges from Pakistan to the Philippines. Next she served as director for ecumenical ministries in higher education for Council of Churches in the city of New York. Feeling the pull of the international community once again, she began working for the United Church Board for World Ministries at the Southern Asia Desk.

Beverly served as local pastor for First United Church of Christ in Bayonne, N.Y., during her years on wider church ministry.

Returning to Cedar Rapids in 1992 at the request of her mother, Beverly was chaplain at Coe College and Iowa State University. She served as associate conference minister for the Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ and as interim minister for Eastern Iowa United Church of Christ congregations. In 2004, she became chaplain for St. Luke's Hospice.

Beverly became an associate of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, in 2003. During her years in Iowa, Beverly served on many advisory boards. Her favorite was the University of Iowa Department of Religion advisory board, where she still was serving at the time of her death. She also published many professional articles throughout her lifetime.

Beverly is survived by her good friend, Ruth Cox, OSF; her Clinton Franciscan family; her cousins; and her faithful companion, (English Cocker spaniel), Hepburn, and his feline friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Visitation will be 10 a.m. Monday, March 21, at the Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories Stateroom. Funeral services will be afterward at 11 a.m. at Chapel of Memories. Pastor Glenn Hunt will be officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, for the Peace Center.

Online condolences may be left at www.cedarmemorial.com.